


Hellooooo Nurse

by Sholeh675 (Solange956)



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Car Accident, First Meetings, Flirting, Head trauma, Joe Whump, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani is an Incurable Romantic, Love at First Sight, M/M, Meet-Cute, Nurse Nicky, POV Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, artist Joe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28203387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solange956/pseuds/Sholeh675
Summary: Yusuf "Joe" Al-Kaysani didn't expect to get into a car accident a week before the biggest career-making art exhibition of his life. It might be worth it though if he can get his cute nurse to go on a date with him.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 48
Kudos: 397
Collections: The Old Guard Gift Exchange 2020





	Hellooooo Nurse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cap_and_cyborg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cap_and_cyborg/gifts).



> This is for [even-after-a-millennia](https://even-after-a-millennia.tumblr.com/) for the 2020 Holiday Gift Exchange, I hope you enjoy!

To say that Joe wasn’t having the best day was maybe an understatement. In fact, Joe might have been having the worst day of his life. Considering that he’d once gotten food poisoning during his first art exhibit and had thrown up on a wealthy patron, that was saying something.

But when Joe’s motorcycle had been clipped while crossing an intersection and he’d gone flying, never before had he felt that level of fear and dread pounding through him. He thought he was going to die, right then and there on the pavement on a Saturday night a week before the biggest art exhibition of his life.

Luckily, he’d only been knocked unconscious, though he wouldn’t come to that realization until many hours later after an ambulance had picked him up and had taken him to the nearest hospital. When he’d finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by obnoxiously bright fluorescent lighting and the steady background noise of the hospital floor.

Most of his entrance into the ER was a blur. He had a vague recollection of someone shining a pen light in his eyes, someone asking him questions, another person leading him to a curtained area where he’d changed into scrubs and been herded into a hospital bed.

The IVs had been a blur as well, and though the pain wasn't nearly as sharp, it stayed with him. A dull, pervasive ache that throbbed through him, scattering his thoughts to the wind.

Joe didn’t know if it’d been a few minutes or a few hours when he next became aware of the person standing in front of him. He’d blinked, wincing at the pain, and looking down at the tubes in his arm before picking up his head again.

Next thing he knew, he was looking at the love of his life.

“Hello, Mr. Al-Kaysani, it’s good to see you awake,” the vision of beauty said to him. “How are you feeling?”

“I love you,” Joe said quickly, his voice breathy and rushed as he stared wide-eyed at the man in scrubs.

Large, liquid blue eyes were all Joe could focus on, the long lashes framing them fluttering in confusion, and Joe sighed as he realized how beautiful the color was, how imperative it was that he include that exact shade in his art exhibition. The scrubs were a baby blue and only made his eyes seem brighter for it. His lips looked as soft as rose petals, and the mole at the side of his mouth only accentuated its sensuality. His dark brown hair looked soft and gently tousled, as if he had only just risen from bed.

“Um, I’m sorry?” he spoke again, and Joe realized the deep, melodious voice was as beautiful as the man, his accent softening the typical clumsy, harshness of English.

“Don’t be sorry,” Joe said, leaning forward and trying to reach out a hand to the other man. “Never be sorry. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“…Okay, I think we need to check you again for a concussion,” his angel mused and to Joe’s delight stepped closer to him.

Joe leaned back into his bed, sinking into the pillow as he tilted his head to stare longingly up at the smooth, perfect skin of his love. His nose was stately, looking as if it belonged on an ancient Roman statue and Joe sighed when the large, warm hands touched his forearm.

“Let’s see,” he said as he took out a pen light and flashed it into Joe’s eyes, making him wince. “Hm, well you’ll definitely be staying here overnight for observation.”

“I’ll be better as long as I can stay with you, my love,” Joe said, reaching out to cover the man’s hand with his own.

“That’s good,” the man chuckled, and Joe gasped to hear such beautiful laughter bubble from his lips.

“What’s your name?” Joe asked, tilting his head enticingly and fluttering his own lashes, hoping that his charm would work its magic.

“Nicky,” he said with a smile before he slid his hand out from under his, and Joe whimpered at the loss. “It’s Joe, right? You have a possible concussion, a few abrasions, and we suspect you have a few fractures. You’ll be staying here for observation and treatment overnight or longer depending on the severity of your wounds. If you have someone to call, I recommend you do so when we’re done with testing. You definitely won’t be able to go home by yourself.”

“No, don’t leave me,” Joe said desperately, reaching out for Nicky again.

“I’m just getting a wheelchair,” he laughed, walking over to the side of the bed, and opening one of the cabinets.

He unfolded the wheelchair in one swift move and lined it up next to Joe.

“Let’s get you seated,” Nicky said as he unlocked the sidebars, grabbed Joe’s IVs, and connected them to the wheelchair. “I’m taking you to get your CT scan.”

“We’re going together?” Joe asked, his voice unusually weak and subdued as he wiggled from the bed down into the chair with Nicky’s help. The ache in his head and torso seemed to float away the closer he was to the other man.

“Yes, yes, we’re going together,” Nicky sighed, but Joe was pleased to see a smile still curling at the edges of the man’s lips.

“Would you go on a date with me?” Joe asked, his head lolling back to stare up at his moon, his sun, his stars.

“Hm, that depends,” Nicky said as he wheeled Joe around a corner. “Where would we be going? Hypothetically.”

“I have an art exhibition in a week,” Joe whispered. “You’ll outshine all the artwork though. I could draw you maybe.”

Nicky laughed, shaking his head as they stopped in front of a pale green door. After that Joe was handed over to the technicians, much to his eternal disappointment. He’d followed their directions, but all he could feel was a devastating sadness welling up inside of him.

“Nicky!” Joe cried when the door opened, and he was handed over to the gorgeous nurse that Joe swore was sent to him as a gift from heaven.

“So…you’re an artist then?” Nicky continued, as Joe’s grin split his face from ear to ear. “That’s interesting.”

“Do you really think so?” Joe asked, his heart soaring at the compliment. “And you’ll go to my exhibit with me?”

The only answer Joe received was that same warm laughter, but it wasn’t a no, so he counted it as a win.

An hour later, after Nicky had returned to his other duties, Joe was delighted to learn that Nicky was going to be checking in on him every hour. He had a concussion he learned, and he also discovered that he had a few hairline fractures when a doctor returned with his x-rays.

“You’re very lucky,” Nicky told him the next time he came in to monitor his vitals. “I heard you were in a pretty bad accident, but you seem to be in fairly good shape.”

“Thank you,” Joe said as he gazed up at Nicky’s chin as he poked at the monitor over his head. Even from the odd angle, he was incredibly good-looking. “I work out.”

“I can tell,” Nicky choked out, a cough interrupting him in between the words, and Joe’s brow scrunched in concern.

“Are you okay?” Joe asked, reaching out a hand to touch the other man’s forearm.

“Perfectly fine,” Nicky responded with a warm smile and he patted Joe’s hand, much to his delight.

“That’s good,” Joe said as he scrutinized the other’s face and noticing the intense eye bags under his eyes for the first time. “You look really tired though. You should take a nap. I can let you sleep here if you like.”

Joe made to move over, certain that the other man could fit if they really tried. Maybe if Nicky climbed in and they spooned….

“No, no, it’s okay,” Nicky insisted as he put a hand on Joe’s shoulder to stop him from moving. “I’ll take a nap later. It’s just been a long day.”

For some reason Joe thought he could hear muffled laughter from behind the blue opaque curtain separating him from the rest of the hospital floor.

“Do you feel okay enough to call someone?” Nicky continued after a moment. “The hospital phone is right over here.”

“Oh, but I think I have my phone…” Joe looked around for his pants. It seemed like ages since he’d changed into the hospital gown and he couldn’t remember if it had survived the crash.

“Mmm, it’s better to use the hospital phone,” Nicky explained. “For outgoing calls, but I can find your phone for you.”

“Please,” Joe said, pointing to his pants that were neatly folded on a little side table.

“Here we go,” Nicky said, handing the phone over, and Joe shivered as their hands brushed against each other.

“I have Booker’s phone number…” Joe said, thinking of his oldest friend in the city. “Let’s see….”

Nicky was sweet enough to help him dial the outgoing extension on the phone and one phone call later, a frantic Booker promised to be on his way despite Joe’s reassurances that he was in good hands.

“He worries about me,” Joe whispered, ignoring Booker’s cursing as he slammed doors on the other end of the line.

“I wonder why,” Nicky said quietly with a twinkle in his eyes that Joe was awed to see.

“No idea,” Joe whispered back dramatically, before he said to Booker, “I’ll see you soon Book, okay?”

Joe handed the phone to Nicky who took it with an air of bemusement.

“Do you mind if I tell him where you are?” Nicky asked with a brow raised.

“Oh no, go ahead,” Joe said waving him on. It would be a dream if his best friend and the love of his life could become friends. All the pieces were fitting together, and Joe wondered at the forces of destiny, how they favored him.

Joe tilted his head back, sighing with satisfaction as the soft, mellow voice washed over him. The next time he opened his eyes, he realized he must have dozed off since Nicky was gone and Booker was calling his name. The throbbing pain, just on the edge of tolerable, was worse than before, but he felt less confused and more coherent than he had before his nap.

“Thanks for telling me nothing, asshole,” Booker groused, but Joe smiled to see the grumpy Frenchman so quickly.

“Booker!” Joe said, wincing as he shifted to sit up in the bed. “That was fast.”

“I’ve been stuck in traffic for over two hours,” Booker said plainly as he pulled over one of the flimsy plastic chairs for visitors and sat down. “What happened?”

“Accident,” Joe said, breathing out heavily as he pressed a hand against his chest, wincing as he felt what was sure to be an impressive set of bruises. “Some fucker ran through a red light and clipped the back of my bike. Wouldn’t have been too bad, but he got me just right and sent me flying.”

“Shit, Joe,” Booker said, as he looked Joe up and down frantically, looking for anything out of place. “Shit, you could have died.”

“I got lucky, I think,” Joe said with a dreamy smile.

“… okay,” Booker said slowly, clearly puzzled by the happiness written all over Joe’s face. “I guess I’ll have to drive you around until you get a new bike?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess,” Joe winced, thinking of all the things he had to do before the exhibit. “Hey did you see Nicky on the way in? I need to get his number.”

“Nicky?” Booker repeated with bemusement. “Who?”

“The nurse you spoke with,” Joe said as he leaned forward, trying to peer around the curtain to where he suspected the nurse’s station was. “Nicky, I need to get his number. We’re going to go on a date.”

“Uh huh,” Booker said as he looked to Joe’s IV stand. “What kind of meds do they have you on?”

“Shut up, Book,” Joe said, paying him no mind as he craned his neck. “I was a little loopy, but I think that was the concussion. It’s just…he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. And he laughed at all my jokes even though I was delirious.”

“Uh huh,” Booker said again, not looking terribly impressed. “He’s just doing his job, you know.”

“We made a connection, Book,” Joe insisted, knowing that he sounded ridiculous, but unable to lie to Booker or himself. “I know it.”

Booker didn’t say anything, just gave him that _look_ that drove Joe nuts. The one that said, I think you’re full of shit, but I’m not going to say it because you’re not listening to me right now. The French had really mastered the art of wordless condescension.

“Hello,” a voice chimed as the curtain peeled back.

Much to Joe’s eternal disappointment, it wasn’t Nicky but instead the same doctor from before who had given him his test results. She was a young black woman named Dr. Nile Freeman who had a fantastic bed-side manner and radiated sheer competency. Under any other circumstances, Joe would have been delighted to talk to her, but he had other things on his mind.

“We’re going to keep you here overnight, just in case,” Dr. Freeman explained, patiently ignoring how Joe kept glancing behind her. “You’re going to have some impressive bruises and you need to take it easy for the next few weeks, so your fractures don’t worsen.”

“Does he need a cast?” Booker asked when Joe didn’t say anything. “Or a splint?”

“The fractures are in his ribs, so no,” Dr. Freeman said with a shrug. “Like I said, take it easy. Best thing he can do is lay in bed and watch TV until his body heals.”

“That’ll be… a challenge,” Booker sighed. “Joe, stay with me and Emilie until you get better. I know you’re going to sneak off and work if I leave you alone.”

“Do you think I’ll be okay to go to work in a week?” Joe asked, suddenly concerned for his exhibition now that he realized he wouldn’t be able to go and make the necessary touch-ups in person. “Or in a few days? I mean, normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but I have an important, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coming up.”

Dr. Freeman looked him in the eyes, concern written across her brow and she sighed. “Wait a few days at least and keep it short. I can only tell you what’s best, but _don’t_ strain yourself. If you feel winded or dizzy or nauseous? Don’t ignore it, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Joe mumbled, thinking of who he could call on for a few favors. It should be okay if he just supervised, shouldn’t it?

“Oh and, uh-“ Joe started, stuttering as he realized that the doctor probably knew Nicky. “Can I ask? I mean, is Nicky around? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“You mean, for thirty minutes?” Dr. Freeman asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile. “He’s on his break, you’ll see him again before he leaves.”

“Oh. Oh, good. I mean, great. That’s great, uh-“ Joe stuttered before Booker sighed again and put him out of his misery.

“Is there a follow-up I should take him to?” Booker asked. “Or anything else we should know?”

“We’ll give you the instructions when Joe’s discharged,” Dr. Freeman said. “We’re still monitoring the situation. If everything looks good tomorrow though, you’ll get a prescription for some extra strength Tylenol. Unfortunately, because of the concussion, I have to advise you _not_ to take any aspirin or anything other than what we prescribe.”

“Got it,” Booker nodded.

“As for the rest,” Dr. Freeman continued. “Get a bunch of ice packs if you don’t have them already.”

“Can do, thank you, doctor,” Booker said as he nodded and tapped Joe’s shoulder.

Joe turned his head back to look at the two. Half way through the instructions he’d thought he had caught sight of Nicky but it was a nurse of similar build and complexion with none of his easy grace and charm.

“Yes, thank you,” Joe chimed, figuring that Booker would fill him in on whatever he had missed.

Dr. Freeman smiled and nodded, excusing herself out of the room, saying that she had more patients to get to, but that his nurse would be back to check in.

“My nurse,” Joe thought to himself with no small amount of giddiness. He swiftly aborted that train of thought as it led down the path of imagining Nicky possibly giving him a very thorough physical. Those thoughts could wait until after their first date.

“I’m going to go get us something to eat,” Booker sighed, as he patted Joe gently on his knee. “Then I guess I’ll stay until visiting hours are over and come pick you up tomorrow.”

“Get me something light,” Joe sighed, leaning back into his bed with a groan.

Booker was gone soon after that and Joe was left to himself. It was the first time he’d been alone since the crash and Joe felt the emotional fallout starting to crash onto him as he gently prodded his ribs and winced at the pain.

He’d been so close to death, so close to losing everything he’d been working for this last decade. He would have never seen his family again or be able to see Booker and his wife’s first child be born. He never would have had a chance to meet Nicky.

And like that, it was as if Joe had summoned the subject of his thoughts as the curtain peeled back and Nicky popped his head in.

“Hello, how are you feeling?” Nicky asked, steeping inside once he saw that Joe was awake. He had a plastic bag in his hand that made Joe raise an eyebrow.

“Like shit,” Joe coughed as he rubbed a hand across his ribs. “But I’m okay, I think.”

Nicky grimaced and said,” Try not to touch your ribs, if you can. Let them heal. As for the pain, we can give you more Tylenol, but nothing stronger.”

“Yeah, the doctor explained,” Joe sighed, wishing that he could have been drugged instead of dealing with the splitting headache and complete body ache instead. “What do you have there?”

“Oh,” Nicky said, looking down at the bag in his hands. He sat down in the chair that Booker had just vacated. “Well, it’s my lunch. Technically I’m still on break, but I thought I would keep you company if your friend hasn’t arrived yet.”

Joe felt his heart melt just a little. Did Nicky really like him too?

“I mean, Booker just left, he went to go get food,” Joe said in a rush of breath. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I was a little out of it, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything before.”

“Oh,” Nicky said again, freezing in his seat. He looked uncertain now and Joe cursed himself for making the sweet, beautiful man feel that way. “Oh, uh- do you want me to leave then?”

“No, no,” Joe said quickly, wincing as he leaned forward too quickly. “Please, stay. I’m just- I thought I would apologize for before. It was inappropriate, I know.”

Nicky smiled softly as he took a clear-glass container and utensils out of his bag and set it on his lap.

“It was fine,” Nicky told him as he popped the lid off, and Joe caught the scent of something delicious. “It was charming, honestly. I wasn’t offended.”

“Good, that’s good,” Joe said as he watched Nicky bite into his pasta. “So, uh, how long have you been working here?”

“A few months,” Nicky said after he was done swallowing. “I moved here around the same time. Job opportunities, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Joe said with a shrug. “I came here for school and then never left.”

“Hmm, but you have an exhibition now, right? Sounds like you’ve made it,” Nicky said.

“More like it’s the first step of a hundred on the road to success,” Joe laughed, thinking of all the hard work he’d put into his projects over the last decade and how this was the first real break he’d experienced. “Most of the time, I’m teaching part-time or doing translating work. Not very glamorous.”

“Oh? You’re an artist, a teacher, multilingual, handsome, and charming? I think you’re glamorous,” Nicky said with an enigmatic smile that lit up his face. Joe felt his mouth go dry as his eyes traced his throat, his cheeks, those lovely lips.

“I- uh, thank you,” was all Joe could think to say, and he mentally kicked himself. It looks like he’d have to stop calling himself a poet after this if he were unable to string a sentence together in the face of his newest love interest. “Um, if you want… since you’re new to the city and I’ve been here since forever, I could show you around some time? Maybe?”

Nicky didn’t answer for a moment, making Joe’s heart pound loudly in his ears and he winced to hear the machine next to him speed up in response too. Nicky glanced over to it and burst out laughing.

“Yes, I think I would,” Nicky said, covering the lid of his lunch and setting it aside. “Give me your phone.”

Joe held up the phone with shaking hands, hardly believing his luck. Nicky took it from him, shooting him a quick smile, and he typed in his name and number into Joe’s contacts before texting his own phone.

“Well, Joe,” Nicky said as he put his half-finished lunch back into its plastic bag. “My lunch is up, but I’ll check in on you later.”

Nicky winked at him as he left, and Joe cursed when the heart monitor sped up again. But hey, it looked like he had a date.

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, so I feel like I might write more for this one but maybe not until the new year! 
> 
> Have a good holiday everyone and a happy & healthy new year ❤


End file.
